07 Dec 2020 MİNİSTER VARANK: ‘İZMİR İS ON İTS WAY TO BECOMİNG THE WİND ENERGY BASE OF EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASİA’
Participating in the 9th Turkish Wind Energy Congress that was held online, the Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank underlined the active role our Agency plays in attracting large-scale foreign investments to İzmir.
“İzmir is on its way to becoming the wind energy base of Eastern Europe and Central Asia”
Pointing out the existence of competent factories that manufacture generators, towers, rotor blades, and tower fittings for the wind energy field, Minister Varank remarked, “These factories not only manufacture such products with high added value at international standards, they also successfully export them. We have companies that are capable of manufacturing wind turbine blades and selling them to global industry giants such as General Electric, Vestas, and Nordex. İzmir is on its way to becoming the wind energy base of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. A vast ecosystem and supply chain has emerged for the production of this equipment in İzmir and its vicinity. Our İzmir Development Agency also played an active role, indeed, in attracting large-scale foreign investments to İzmir. Even though we have achieved an 80 to 90 percent localization rate on a product basis, our wind turbine localization rate remains around 60 percent. We seek to increase this rate even further. We will take the necessary steps to manufacture other equipment involved in the industry’s value chain that is not being manufactured in our country yet. One of the development areas of the sector, as you are also well aware, will be offshore wind turbines. We aim to secure a competitive position for our national industry in the manufacturing of both land and offshore wind turbine equipment. With the turbine models of our own design and production, it will be possible for us to outdo our competitors. Believe me when I say this is not merely a dream for the Turkish industry”.
“With the completion of Çandarlı port, which is currently under construction in İzmir, a critical threshold for the port-highway connection will be exceeded”
Stating that they are focusing on taking steps to ensure that the sector remains competitive, Minister Varank added, “We are aware of the importance of logistics needs at this point. With the completion of Çandarlı port, which is currently under construction in İzmir, a critical threshold for the port-highway connection will be exceeded. Let me make an announcement to the sector here; we can build a specialized industrial zone within the hinterland of the port. There, we can allocate areas specifically for companies operating in the wind energy field. We consider this highly important. We want to work together with the sector on achieving this, as well.”